Re: "attributive" participle

From: Carl W. Conrad (cwconrad@artsci.wustl.edu)
Date: Wed Oct 15 1997 - 09:41:35 EDT


At 7:56 AM -0500 10/15/97, Jonathan Robie wrote:
>There are two meanings to the word "attributive" that make sense here:
>
>1. The "attributive" participle describes the attributes of a noun.
>2. The "attributive" participle occurs in attributive position.
>
>Which of these is the reason for the name?

Neither seems to me a very good reason for using such a term; who uses it?
It strikes me as more confusing than helpful. I'd rather talk about an
adjectival as opposed to an adverbial participle and then say that an
adjectival participle may be used either like an attributive adjective or
like a substantive adjective, e.g. hO PISTEUWN ANHR (attribute adjective);
hO PISTEUWN (substantive usage of an adjectival participle).

Carl W. Conrad
Department of Classics/Washington University
One Brookings Drive/St. Louis, MO, USA 63130/(314) 935-4018
Home: 7222 Colgate Ave./St. Louis, MO 63130/(314) 726-5649
cwconrad@artsci.wustl.edu OR cconrad@yancey.main.nc.us
WWW: http://www.artsci.wustl.edu/~cwconrad/



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